‘TNA Wrestling’ Review (Jun 6th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of TNA Wrestling, Let’s get straight into the review and see what went down on the show…
Match #1: Jake Something def. Kon
The following is courtesy of tnawrestling.com:
Jake and Kon engage in a fierce battle, locking up and then breaking apart. Kon attempts a neck snap, but Jake manages to evade the move. Kon laughs as they circle each other before locking up once again. Jake gains the upper hand, pushing Kon towards the turnbuckle, but Kon breaks free and the exchange of strikes begins. Kon gains momentum with a powerful chop, fueling Jake who retaliates with a chop of his own, followed by a Clothesline that sends Kon tumbling out of the ring. Kon charges at Jake, but Jake skillfully dodges, causing Kon to crash to the floor once more. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction caused by Kon throwing his shirt at him, Jake is sent crashing into the ring post. A confident Kon then focuses his attack on Jake’s face, delivering a Clothesline to the chest that initiates a back-and-forth exchange between the two wrestlers. Jake whips Kon into the corner and delivers a devastating Clothesline, sending Kon to the mat. Attempting a Powerbomb, Jake is met with a reversal from Kon who goes for an Elbow Drop. Jake manages to dodge the move and lands a powerful right hand on Kon, following up with a cover. Despite Jake kicking out, Kon grabs him by the throat. Jake breaks free from Kon’s grasp as Kon attempts the Neck Snap once more. Jake counters the move, rolling Kon through and delivering “Into The Void,” securing the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #2: Gisele Shaw def. Shazza McKenzie
The following is courtesy of tnawrestling.com:
The match starts off with a lock up, and Gisele quickly takes control. Meanwhile, Gail Kim is watching from backstage. Gisele starts off strong with an Arm Drag and follows it up with a Headscissors and a running Back Elbow on Shazza, who retreats to the corner. Gisele then delivers a solid chop and a Big Boot to the face. She goes for a Knee Strike, but Shazza manages to get to the outside and drops Gisele on the ropes, shifting the momentum in her favor. Shazza then kicks Gisele in the face, lands some punches, and starts taunting her, which only fires Gisele up even more. Gisele responds with a slap to the face, a forearm to the back of the head, and a Superkick to the back of Shazza’s head. Gisele tries to scoop up Shazza, but she reverses it, Gisele hits a wicked Cutter followed by a Knee strike securing the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Speedball Mountain def. Mustafa Ali and Champaign Singh
The following is courtesy of tnawrestling.com:
Ali kicked off the match with some trash talk before tagging Singh. Trent quickly grabbed Singh’s arm and started slapping him around. Speedball then tagged himself in and executed a double team combo with Seven. followed by a Moonsault Knee Drop on Singh. Speedball continued with chops, a Handspring, and a well-placed Dropkick. Singh tagged Ali, who turned the tables with a wicked kick to Bailey’s head. Ali trash talked Seven on the apron, slammed Bailey into the buckle, whipped him off the ropes, and hit a chop block. After tagging Singh, they delivered a double back Elbow and Singh stomped Bailey in the corner. Despite Bailey fighting back, Ali Dropkicked Seven off the apron to regain the advantage. Singh then dropped Bailey with a big move and Ali choked him on the ropes before tagging Singh back in, who unleashed a flurry of boots on Bailey. Despite the chants for Speedball, Singh’s offense was too much. Singh hit a big chop and knees on Bailey before locking in a Chicken Wing. Bailey managed to fight back with hits, but Singh dropped him with a move onto his knees. Bailey attempted to rally but was shut down by Singh. Bailey finally reversed into a pin, but Singh kicked out. Bailey then hit another Dropkick, this time from the second rope, and made the tag to Trent, who entered the ring with a burst of energy. He starts off by taking down Singh with a few Clotheslines and a DDT, but Ali breaks it up! Trent goes for the Birminghammer, but Ali grabs Trent’s leg, allowing Singh to hit Trent with a double hit to the throat and a Flatliner. Singh tags Ali, who starts stomping Trent out. Trent fights back and throws Ali to the corner, but Seven catches him with Bop and Bang. Singh breaks the pin as Bailey dives to the floor! Ali goes for a big Clothesline and then attempts a 450, but Trent dodges it and hits a Seven Star Lariat! Both men are down, crawling to their partners. Tags are made, and Bailey hits Singh with a Missile Dropkick. Bailey goes for a Superkick, but Singh ducks and counters with a Back Elbow. He tries to give Bailey a move, but Bailey lands on his feet and hits a kick, knocking Singh down. Bailey follows up with Moonsault Knees and goes for the pin, but Singh kicks out! Trent tries to scoop up Singh for Bailey, but Ali pulls him out of the ring. Bailey lands a stiff shot on Ali, but the Secret Service members distract Bailey, allowing Ali to hit a DDT off one of the members’ backs! Meanwhile, in the ring, Trent drops Singh with a Seven Star Lariat and sets him up for the Birminghammer, which Ali sees coming and retreats. Trent connects with The Birminghammer and secures the victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Knockouts World Title Match – Jordynne Grace def. Allysin Kay
The following is courtesy of tnawrestling.com:
The two Knockouts charged at each other, with Allysin throwing a swing that Jordynne managed to duck. Instead, Jordynne started hitting her with powerful forearms. Kay whipped Grace into the corner, and Grace bounced out, delivering a huge Clothesline. Kay attempted a Suplex, but Grace reversed it, dropping Kay on the top rope! Marti Belle then tossed Grace back into the ring, where Allysin Kay gave her some hard chops in the corner. She followed up with a Corner Splash and went for a pin, but Grace kicked out. Kay then threw Jordynne out of the ring and distracted the ref so Marti Belle could stomp her out on the floor. Belle tried to hit an AK47 on Grace, but Grace powered out and countered with a back elbow. She then delivered a Spear and went for the pin, but Kay kicked out. The two exchanged forearms until Belle’s distraction allowed Kay to gain the upper hand, hitting Grace with a Side Suplex. Grace managed to turn things around, placing Kay on the top rope and landing a Muscle Buster. Marti Belle tried to intervene but was met with a massive Spinebuster from Jordynne Grace. Grace then attempted a Powerbomb, but Allysin dropped her head first. However, Grace persevered and managed to Powerbomb Allysin before finishing her off with a Juggernaut Driver, successfully retaining the Knockouts World Championship.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Digital Media Title Match – AJ Francis def. Laredo Kid
The following is courtesy of tnawrestling.com:
The match started off with Swann trying to distract Laredo so AJ could sneak up on him, but it did not go as planned. Laredo dodged AJ’s attack and landed a few kicks on Francis instead. Laredo had the upper hand for a bit, but Francis managed to catch him mid-air. However, Laredo quickly turned the tables and hit a Moonsault off the corner. Francis dodged it but got hit with a Basement Dropkick from the top rope. Francis was knocked to the floor, and Laredo attempted a dive, only to be caught by Francis and slammed onto the apron. Francis then started delivering some heavy forearms to Laredo, keeping him on the defensive. He eventually scooped up Laredo for a Powerbomb, but Laredo countered with a Dropkick that stunned Francis. Laredo followed up with a series of hits to the turnbuckle and a massive DDT. Swann tried to intervene, but Laredo took him out and then proceeded to kick Francis in the face before executing a Neck Breaker off the ropes. Laredo then climbed to the top rope, but instead of targeting Francis, he took out Swann with a dive. When he turned his attention back to Francis, he was caught and hit with the Down Payment, resulting in Francis winning the Digital Media Championship.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Nic Nemeth def. Frankie Kazarian
The following is courtesy of tnawrestling.com:
The Wanted Man and “The King of TNA” face off in the ring. They lock up, break apart, and circle each other once more. Nemeth manages to get behind Kazarian and pulls off two Arm Drags, keeping a tight grip on Kazarian’s arm. However, Kazarian quickly turns the tables with a chop that takes Nemeth down. As Nemeth tries to recover, Kazarian hits him with a scoop slam and a Springboard Leg Drop. Just when it seems like Nemeth is gaining momentum, Kazarian dumps him out of the ring and taunts the TNA fans while the referee starts the count. Kazarian follows Nemeth to the floor and delivers a kick to the face before tossing him back into the ring for a Slingshot Leg Drop. He then stomps on Nemeth’s fingers and executes a Suplex. Nemeth refuses to stay down and starts to fight back, but Kazarian quickly locks in a Headlock. The crowd rallies behind Nemeth, giving him the strength to break free and hit the ropes. However, Kazarian stops him in his tracks with a brutal knee to the face followed by a Gutwrench Suplex, causing even more damage to Nemeth. Nemeth was on the receiving end of a huge Clothesline, cutting off his attempt to fight back. He stands on Nics hair. After hitting Nic with another Clothesline and taunting the crowd, he tried to lock in the Chicken Wing again. However, Nemeth managed to roll through and counter with a Back Elbow and a kick. He then sidestepped Kazarian and nailed him with a DDT, followed by a Big Splash in the corner. Kaz was down, but he fought back by catching Nemeth in the Chicken Wing. Nemeth struggled but reached the ropes just in time. Kaz, frustrated, attempted Fade to Black, but Nemeth reversed it, leading to a series of back-and-forth pin attempts. The two wrestlers continued to battle it out, with Nemeth eventually landing a Superkick on Kaz. Despite the cover, Kaz managed to kick out. Kazarian then dumped Nemeth onto the apron and delivered a Leg Drop through the ropes, followed by a Slingshot Cutter. However, Nemeth fought back again by shoving Kazarian into the corner and delivering a series of elbows. When Kaz went for a Sunset Flip from the apron, Nemeth countered into a pin of his own, then hit a Headbutt and caught Kaz with Danger Zone for the win.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This a good, but not great, anniversary show for TNA. Some good throwbacks to Impact shows of yesteryear… but, speaking of yesteryear, does anyone else think that this CURRENT iteration of TNA/Impact feels like the Impact of old and I’m NOT talking about the early years of AJ Styles, the X-Division and the 6-sided ring et al., I’m talking the Hogan/Bischoff era, when “sports entertainment” crept into the brand and the focus moved away from the more “traditional” style of TNA. That being said, there’s a lot of stuff going on backstage/behind-the-scenes that may change that. Or make it worse. We’ll have to wait and see. For now? This was one of the brand’s better recent shows.
